Easily Discarded Savard Should not Be Taken for Granted by Bruins

There is nothing funny about post-concussion syndrome. That puts me in a bit of a bind, because as unfunny as Boston Bruin Marc Savard’s recent turn for the worse is, the Bruins’ epic collapse against the Philadelphia Flyers last spring? Absolutely hilarious.

The only logical solution is to skip over the seven-game defeat as much as possible in order to stay respectful of the Bruins’ chances this year, which, as it turns out, are pretty good.

Through injuries taking their toll, a general inability to score, and a goaltending situation with as many twists and turns as an ill-advised Tim Thomas excursion out of the crease, last season was a disappointment to put it mildly. And it’s true, revisiting their defeat at the hands of the Flyers would at this point likely only re-open old wounds best left scarred reminders of what not to do when you’re up three games to none in a series – namely, not losing the next four.

As such, the only thing of any relevance that can be said right now is that logic dictates that the Bruins can only go up. However, even though they’re relatively stacked, an unhealthy Savard severely limits their chances at giving the Bruins faithful ample reason to forget the granddaddy of all embarrassments. Think then-Hab Mike Komisarek losing to Milan Lucic in one of the great mismatches in hockey-fights history, multiply that by, oh, I don’t know, getting beaten by your own shoe in the stands of a hockey game by Mike Milbury, and, maybe, just maybe, you would come close.

The team’s salary-cap concerns have been resolved right now with Marco Sturm on long-term injured reserve for the time being and the onus is still on Michael Ryder to prove to team management that he still belongs in this league. If not, added cap relief is most certainly on the way, with one of Maxime Sauve, Joe Colborne, Jordan Caron, and Brad Marchand looking to snatch his spot.

Based on the media speculation, though, the Bruins likely wouldn’t hesitate to trade Savard and lose him as well if the right deal came along. However, if Savard isn’t given ample on-ice opportunity to prove himself as being anything other than one hit away from an ended career, even the Toronto Maple Leafs, desperate for offense in the worst way, wouldn’t even take him off Boston’s hands. Hell, Leafs general manager Brian Burke, probably pissed off (despite what he keeps telling the media) about giving up the rights to Tyler Seguin in the Phil Kessel deal, has probably conveniently lost Peter Chiarelli’s phone number in a self-help bid to prevent himself from trading away Sean Couturier... Oh, wait.

The Bruins should sit back, enjoy their spoils of war, and take this unfortunate tragedy as a blessing, assuming of course Savard returns sooner rather than later.

Taking into account the team’s depth at center, i.e. David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, etc., it seems illogical for the recently drafted Seguin to not be sent down to the Plymouth Whalers as soon as Savard gets cleared to play. Still, management is determined to keep him with the big club and waste one year of his entry contract for whatever reason, moving him to the wing if need be. 

Seguin is not going to be a star in this league this year, no matter how it plays out. He may end up being better than Bergeron and a presumably healthy Krejci, but he isn’t now. Savard, in contrast, is. Three good lines are most definitely better than two and comprise the difference between a contender and just a playoff team.

"This is actually me celebrating... no post-concussion syndrome here!"

So, as foolish as the Bruins may be for deciding to keep Seguin, the move will pay dividends this year as soon as the team gets fully healthy. Sturm and Savard, along with Seguin, Bergeron, Krejci,  Lucic, Nathan Horton, Blake Wheeler, and Mark Recchi most certainly give the Bruins three great lines. It’s just a matter of when, because Savard, as the team’s best player, is the straw that stirs its drink. In a town where good alcohol is never wasted and Saint Patrick’s Day is treated like a religious experience, that’s saying something... other than Bostonians having an unnatural and unhealthy fixation on drinking, that is.

With Savard, the Bruins have the potential to win it all. Without him, they’ll likely stagger into the playoffs once again, just as they did with him limited to 41 games last year. We all know how that ultimately played out. It was a real tear-jerker.